


Paper Cranes

by Cyan (vehicroids)



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Acually it's all pretty spoilery, F/M, Fluff, One-Sided Attraction, Stupid tags, ToZ spoilers I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-25 00:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17111087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehicroids/pseuds/Cyan
Summary: After Dezel's passing, Rose needed to find a way to keep busy. At least she wasn't alone.





	Paper Cranes

Rose could almost fold the pieces of paper without looking anymore. It had become a habit, something to keep her hands busy. It was also an excellent way to clear her thoughts.

It was Lailah's idea. She had found Rose by herself after Dezel's passing, swallowing her emotions as she usually did. When Rose looked at Lailah then, she realised just how similar they were. The only difference being, Lailah was rather strange. Rose would rather not admit she was strange, herself. Lailah smiled knowingly at Rose, before sitting her down to talk to her.

Of course, Rose said nothing. She wasn't going to divulge her thoughts and fears and heart to Lailah, no matter how much prodding she received. That was when Lailah pulled out her stack of papers and began folding.

“I told Sorey about this, but I'm sure you know about paper boats,” Lailah said as she folded. “I think, at the moment, a crane is far more appropriate.”

Rose didn't need to ask why. A part of her wondered if she could send messages to the dead, but she shook her head. Ghosts weren't real. Or, they were, but they were hellions. Rose would prefer to think that Dezel was not still around, thank you very much, especially if it meant he had turned into a hellion.

Lailah finished the bird, before handing it to Rose. She fiddled with the little paper craft, admiring the handiwork. Neat and beautiful, just like Lailah. Rose held it on her lap, her fingers tracing the folded edges as she spoke.

“There's a legend about them, at least with humans. If you fold a thousand of them, you'll get a wish. I guess if you're basically praying to wind seraphim, they'll grant your wish eventually,” Rose said.

Lailah nodded. “Yes. Though, not all wishes can be granted.”

Rose looked down at the crane. Of course they couldn't be; one couldn't rely on wishes and the will of the seraphim to do things. There were some things that were beyond even seraphim. Rose knew that. Yet still, a part of her nagged.

“Hey, I wouldn't ask anything stupid or impossible,” Rose said.

Lailah laughed softly. “Then if you could have a wish, what would it be?”

Rose paused. If she could have anything at all, she would rid the world of malevolence and of Heldalf. However, she had faith that they could do it without the help of wishes. Boundless riches? Nah, that wasn't really her thing, either.

“I dunno, I wouldn't wanna waste it,” Rose said. “What would you wish for?”

Lailah's hands clapped together and she sat up straight. “Oh my, look at that! That little bug is trying to get on a leaf!”

Rose smiled at her. Everyone had their secrets.

Since then, Rose had taken to swiping Lailah's paper. If she knew, she never mentioned it. Keeping track of the folded cranes proved to be difficult, but Rose was good with numbers. One turned to ten, ten turned to a hundred, a hundred turned to five hundred. It was part of her nightly routine now.

Rose often wrote little notes with the paper cranes. Some bitter - immediately discarded after making - and some more cheerful. Occasionally she would throw one to the wind, a part of her hoping it would reach Dezel. They weren't exciting, and certainly nothing deeply personal. They were simple updates on the party, something Dezel likely wouldn't have cared about. Rose just wanted an excuse to talk to him.

Unsurprisingly, Rose never received a response. She didn't expect one. Ghosts couldn't write, after all. Rose really did not want to think about ghosts, even if the ghosts were her friends or family. The thought crept up occasionally, sending shivers up her spine.

Rose wasn't constantly folding cranes. It was only at night when she was alone that she sat there, folding little pieces of paper. Rose felt it was a little sad, but it was also somewhat therapeutic. It gave her a place to yell her thoughts, no matter how asinine. There were some things that did not need to be said.

The party took a short break in Camlann, knowing they would need the energy for their final battle. It felt eerie being here, in a place lost in time. The malevolence was so thick that even Rose found it difficult to breathe. She couldn't imagine how the seraphim were feeling.

This was the perfect place to make the final wish: a prayer for a miracle.

Rose only had two cranes left to make; she had two papers left in her pockets. Rose didn't know if they would survive this battle. With shaking hands, she folded the worst paper crane and laughed at it. That was when Sorey came to sit with her.

“Oh, you're still making those bird things?” Sorey asked.

“I know it's stupid to rely on wishes, which is why I'm not. It's more of… an aid?”

Rose laughed, before putting the bird on Sorey's head. He laughed with her, taking the bird off an examining it. Hopefully, he wouldn't look too closely at her poor folding.

“What are you gonna wish for?” Sorey asked.

“It doesn't come true if you tell people!” Rose said.

It was a fancy way of saying _ I don't know _ . Sorey half heartedly threw the crane, watching it land on the floor by Mikleo's feet. Sorey laughed, but Mikleo looked confused.

At the end of it all, Rose didn't know if she wanted anything else. Everything she had ever wanted was her family. Her thoughts flitted back to Dezel. It was a shame that he was going to miss this. She bumped Sorey's shoulder with her fist.

“We don't need miracles or prayers. We can do this,” Rose said.

“Yeah, you're right. We can do this.” Sorey stood, turning to her with a smile. “You coming?”

“Gimme a sec, and I'll be with you.”

One last crane, enscribed with one last message to Dezel. A strong gust of wind rushed by, and Rose released the paper, taking her wish and note with it.

_ Wish you were here. _

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't stop thinking about these two Godddd I love Dezerose I'm so sorry. It's also rather short, which is weird from me? Also it's a little rambly. Sorry :'D
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr!](http://vehicroids.tumblr.com)


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